Some of Florida Hospital's physicians participate in the hospital's Global Mission Initiative. After generously helping the people in an Argentinian village, as well as other countries, these doctors remembered the real reason they first went into medicine.
Here in the United States, we take things like food, going to the doctor for check-ups or even running water for granted. But for people in other countries, these everyday conveniences are seen as gifts. The doctors of Florida Hospital understand this so they generously donate their time with the Florida Hospital Global Mission Initiative, which was formed with the mission of providing medical care for those in need around the world.
As a group, the department has traveled to Haiti, Ethiopia, Peru, Guatemala and Argentina, along with other countries. Dr. Santambrosio says different physicians specialize in various areas of medicine including surgery and the dispensing of medicine. Florida Hospital nurses, CEOs, and administrators take part in the missions as well as representatives from the maintenance, security and transportation departments. The local nursing schools at the destinations serve as interpreters. In some cases the doctors do not even need interpreters. Such was the case for a past mission as all seven of the physicians who went were bilingual, Dr. Santambrosio says.